


Magnums and Atropine

by viceroyvonmutini



Category: Person of Interest (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-29
Updated: 2015-03-29
Packaged: 2018-03-20 07:40:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,308
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3642159
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/viceroyvonmutini/pseuds/viceroyvonmutini
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Let it be known Shaw didn't want to be here.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Magnums and Atropine

**Author's Note:**

> This has been brewing for so long but I couldn't make it work: I think, however, I finally settled on something I'm okay with.
> 
> The hardest part was Shaw's club song and even then I simply guessed. Any better ideas are more than welcome.
> 
> (Root's was a no brainer.) 
> 
> I have no beta. Mistakes are mine.

She only agreed to this because Carter had asked her and she liked Carter. Carter was no nonsense. And if Carter said the girls should go out then really, how bad could it be? Last time was fun. She could get drunk, have fun and go home with someone.

Just what she needed.

So when she descended the stairs of the safe house in a functional (two knives, one gun) yet sexy black dress that did wonders for her cleavage and saw Root standing next to Zoe discussing taser specs, she decided she was never going to listen to Carter again.

‘What's Root doing here?’ she hissed, the name spitting off her tongue like a disease as she glared at Carter in accusation. Root turned to face the source of the voice and didn’t even try to approach subtle in the way her eyes leisurely raked across Shaw’s figure, and while she definitely relished that the desired reaction had been achieved Root wasn’t meant to be here and what should have been a perfectly tolerable evening had now been utterly ruined.

Finally their eyes met.

‘Sameen,’ Root purred, smirk in place.

Shaw was still was still waiting for an answer to her question and shifted her glare back to Carter, who shrugged.

‘She’s one of the girls Shaw.’

She was never speaking to Carter again.

‘No she isn’t.’

‘I’m hurt,’ complained Root sounding not in the least affected.

Shaw glared, taking the stairs in her heeled shoes with an air of anger difficult to ignore. Reaching the bottom Root walked towards her, stopping just in front of a tense Shaw: close enough to touch.

Shaw didn’t flinch at the proximity.

‘It’ll be fun Sameen’

Shaw grumbled but made no further protest as Joss led the group out to the waiting taxi.

‘So whipped,’ muttered an amused Zoe, and Carter shot her a knowing look.

‘Link arms with me and I’ll break your spine’ floated a gruff voice from the back.

‘So, so whipped.’

 

* * *

 

 

Root had graciously gained the group entry into a lavish club; named guests only. Three glasses of champagne and a double of whiskey later, they were ready to start the night as they commandeered a dark booth at the back overlooking the dance floor.

The cost, once again graciously covered by Root, quickly rocketed with Shaw’s insistence for aged, top of the range spirits and Root’s insistence that they _needed_ at least two magnums of Kruger. (‘Shaw I need this or the Machine will cry. Disown me. I need this. Control might come if we don’t’ ‘How much have you had Root?’ ‘Enough to say with approximate statistical certainty that I have a chance of dying if we don’t buy it.’)

She’d only got it to shut her up and not because Root was looking at her wide-eyed and almost serious, trying to will forth tears as Carter and Zoe giggled at them in the corner. (‘So whipped’ ‘Shut up Morgan.’)

The more Root drank the more her body seemed to find itself on Shaw. A hand on her thigh (swiftly removed) legs threaded under the table (slowly disentangled) an arm around her shoulder (it took her a long time to notice it was there honestly) and the more Shaw stopped pretending to find it intolerable, relaxing into the drunken haze of her whiskey, the more amusement Zoe felt.

Root went to get Shaw another drink, stride long in the little blue dress that did all the right things to her legs.

‘You’re staring’ Carter pointed out.

‘I’m glaring.’

Shaw roughly turned back to face the two women; looking for her drink and finding it empty causing her scowl to deepen.

‘I don’t know why you want to make us think you don’t want her here-‘ began Zoe.

‘I don’t.’

Zoe and Carter shared a look but said nothing. This was dangerous territory they would never have touched had they not been heavily intoxicated and were not 100% Shaw was similarly inebriated.

‘Let me rephrase,’ began Zoe, much more delicately, ‘I don’t know why you bother continuing to try and convince us all you don’t want her here.’

Shaw glared but said nothing. She wanted to say something along the lines of ‘I don’t have to try, I like Root about as much as I like fruit tea’ or ‘Say another word and I’ll carve out your vocal chords’ but her drunken mind couldn’t form such a lie and she doubted she had a steady hand right now to do that kind of delicate surgery.

So instead she glared.

Which did absolutely nothing to convince the two women.

Weirdly, Shaw found herself thinking the best solution would be for Root to hurry back and save her.

She frowned.

Much to her reluctant relief, Root chose that moment to return drink in hand and Shaw very much nearly called her a goddess to her face. Mercifully her expression remained stony as she grasped for the drink, the mirthful eyes of her companions watching her every move as Root sat down beside her, practically snuggled into Shaw’s side as she reached for her glass of champagne.

Shaw didn’t push her away.

‘What did I miss?’

Root felt Shaw tense against her side and wondered what had happened while she had been gone. She turned to look at Shaw on her left: Shaw stared resolutely at her glass of whiskey as Root’s eyes studied her face.

Shaw for her part knew only of how close their faces were and her scowl deepened as she thought of all the ways she could push it away.

Before she could enact any such fantasies, Root had returned focus to Zoe and Carter.

‘You pissed her off.’

Shaw’s glare returned full force and she thought if she were to have any super power it would be telekinesis because she was sure her eyes could break her whiskey glass if she glared hard enough.

Zoe and Carter were grinning but said nothing, simply shrugged.

‘We said nothing you wouldn’t’ explained Zoe.

Root grinned.

‘That probably explains it then.’

‘Shut up Root.’

She leant her head on Shaw’s shoulder, looking wistfully up as best she could at Shaw’s face.

‘Anything for you sweetie.’

Shaw shrugged her shoulder forcefully and Root obediently raised her head, grin still in place.

The song changed on the dance floor and soon Carter was dragging Zoe while they belted the words to ‘Fergalicious,’ swiftly abandoning the task of trying to get Shaw to join them.

Left alone Root pushed herself further into the side of Shaw’s body, head comfortably resting on the woman’s shoulder once more.

‘Sure you don’t want to dance Sameen?’

‘No.’

‘Is it the song?’

‘Yes.’

Root laughed.

‘What’s wrong with Fergie?’

‘You like this?’

Root did the best approximation of a shrug she could manage in her current position. Shaw felt the movement.

‘I have no grudge against her music. ‘Glamorous’ was good.’

‘She spells out the word ‘glamorous’ that’s literally all she does Root.’

‘It was a good song.’

‘At least it’s a real word’ muttered Shaw.

Root laughed before downing the remains of her champagne. Shaw noticed the empty glass and took it, refilling it from the magnum resting on the floor by her feet and handing the glass back.

Root repositioned herself against Shaw once more.

‘You know what I like?’

Shaw grunted that she should continue.

‘That song by that band that no one can say.’

‘Specific.’

‘No you know it. You definitely know it.’

‘Pretty sure I don’t.’

‘3-oh something.’

‘Right.’

‘It exists I swear.’

‘Give Me Everything. Dangerous.’

‘What?’

‘Songs.’

Root chuckled, practically nuzzling into Shaw’s neck. Shaw made to turn her head.

‘Don’t move. I’m comfortable.’

Shaw turned her head anyway and stared at Root.

‘Spandau Ballet?’

‘No.’

‘Abba?’

‘Fuck off Root.’

‘Eurythmics?’

Shaw said nothing.

‘Sex Pistols?’

Shaw scowled.

‘The Clash?’

Shaw said nothing but continued glaring.

‘You were punk rock weren’t you?’

‘No.’

‘You were.’

‘Root.’

‘Did you have a Mohawk?’

‘Root.’

‘Nose ring?’

‘Shut up.’

‘I bet you listened to Nirvana.’

‘I like Nirvana.’

Root was grinning.

‘My my Sameen, someone had a rebellious streak.’

‘Shut up Root.’

Root shifted upwards slightly bringing her face closer to Shaw’s own.

‘Don’t worry sweetie,’ she ghosted her lips as best she could over Shaw’s ear as she whispered, ‘your secret’s safe with me.’

Shaw’s scowl deepened as Root swiftly stood up.

‘Come on.’

Root held out her hand and Shaw simply stared at it.

The music changed in the background.

‘It’s your favourite.’

Shaw listened and sure enough ‘Dangerous’ was playing. Shaw suspected Root had a lot to do with that, or at least the Machine, but said nothing as she stood up without Root’s help and accompanied her to the dance floor.

She did really like this song.

Soon enough the two were writhing to the beat, Root close to Shaw and Shaw not pushing her away.

Root whispered softly, but loud enough to be heard, in her ear.

‘We need to go to the bathroom.’

Shaw spun round eyebrow raised, still dancing.

‘Trust me.’

Root smirked before spinning around and leading the way through the throng of people.

Shaw scowled but followed her anyway, grumbling.

Root entered the dingy bathroom Shaw hot on her tail. A group of four women clearly divided in the middle, all spun to look at the intruders.

‘Sorry to barge in’ apologized Root, not sounding the least bit sorry.

Shaw stood behind her watching things unfold.

Root tilted her head slightly listening to the voice in her ear. Shaw’s hand drifted for the gun strapped to her thigh.

‘You three can go’ instructed Root cheerfully.

They looked at one another but failed to move.

‘Get out.’

Shaw’s command worked better, and the chosen three scampered out of the room.

Root smiled at the remaining woman.

‘Sorry about this.’

Root walked to her right and reached underneath the row of sinks, feeling for something before ripping off a vial and a syringe.

‘Atropine,’ she explained, smile in place as she drew out a measurement from the vial, tapping the syringe for air bubbles and facing the woman.

‘Root.’ Shaw warned, ‘no killing.’

‘Don’t worry Sameen: just enough to cause mild hallucinations and possibly a case of tachycardia.’

The woman pulled out a gun before pointing it at Root and Shaw drew hers just as swiftly, eyes trained on the threatening woman.

‘Who the _fuck_ are you people?’

‘We’re not here to kill you. Incapacitate you maybe. But not kill.’

‘Go to hell.’

‘Drop the gun’ commanded Shaw.

‘Like hell I will. I’m not letting her inject me with whatever the fuck that is.’

‘Atropine’ supplied Root, not so helpfully.

‘If you don’t put down the gun I’m going to shoot you. And it’ll hurt a lot more than the drug. Your choice.’

‘You shoot me and I’ll shoot your friend over here before-‘

The gunshot rang in the room as the woman crumpled, dropping her gun and clutching her left knee.

‘Fuck fuck fuck fuck what the fuck?’

Root looked back at Shaw who lowered her gun and shrugged.

‘I warned her.’

Root smiled before advancing on the woman and injecting the atropine. Slowly her muscles relaxed and her body began to convulse as Root stood to dispose of her equipment, flushing it down the nearby toilet.

Root walked past Shaw and opened the bathroom door before shouting to the nearby security guard.

‘Help, help us! This woman I think she needs a hospital!’

‘A hospital?’ The man ran over. ‘What is it?’

‘It’s a building with patients,’ sniffled Root in a drunken sob, ‘but that’s not important right now. She’s dying please help us.

The man pushed through into the room and ran to the woman’s aid.

‘What happened here?’

His question addressed an empty room.

Back on the dance floor the two were making their way back through the crowd. Root turned around and began to dance. Shaw followed her lead.

‘Airplane? Really?’ she hissed.

Root shrugged.

‘I couldn’t resist. I love that film.’

‘You’ve had too much to drink.’

‘I just incapacitated a number: I’m fine.’

‘You injection technique was all wrong. You barely even hit a vein.’

Root scowled but said nothing.

Shaw looked vaguely smug.

‘So we came here for a reason.’

‘There’s always a reason Sameen. But it doesn’t mean we can’t have fun.’

Paramedics ran around the side of the dance floor behind them and Root pulled Shaw through the crowd, heading for their table.

Both took long swigs of their drinks as Zoe and Carter watched.

‘You two wouldn’t have anything to do with those paramedics would you?’ questioned a wary, tired Carter who knew she really didn’t want to know the answer.

‘You don’t want us to answer.’

‘You’re right. I don’t.’

Carter stood up to leave, Zoe following her.

‘We’re heading back. You coming?’ asked Zoe, slipping her shoes onto her feet.

Root glanced back at Shaw pouring herself a small amount of champagne having run out of whiskey.

‘No we’ll follow you later.’

‘Suit yourself. Have fun ladies. Use protection.’

Root smirked, sharing a look with a knowing Zoe.

‘Say hi to John for us’ she quipped back.

Root turned back around to face Shaw as the women left.

‘You want another drink?’

‘No.’

Shaw stood up and advanced on Root, who took a step back in surprise. A small smile tugged at the corner of Shaw’s lips as she came up close in Root’s personal space.

‘The song.’

Root tilted her head and her eyes widened slightly. Shaw’s smile broke free then as the corner of her lips turned upwards.

She pushed past Root bee-lining for the dance floor, body swaying.

Root watched her go before pulling herself together and smiling softly, following Shaw into the throng of people.

 

**Author's Note:**

> For those tickled with curiosity:
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvf--10EYXw
> 
> Root's chosen song.
> 
> You're welcome.


End file.
